Picture-frame hanger



(No Model.) J. A. STAHLE,

PICTURE FRAME HANGER.

18, 1887. g Patented 001; v

UNITE STATES PATENT JACOB A. STAHLE, OF BUGYRUS, OHIO.

Pl CTURE-FRAM E HANGER.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,716, dated October is, 1887.

Application filed July 11, 1887. Serial No. 243,989. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB A. STAHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing atBucyrus, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Picture Frame Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in picture-hangers; and it consists in a certain novel device to be attached to the rear side of the picture-frame, more fully described hereinafter, and specifically pointed-out in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a picture-frame, looking at the rear thereof, and showing my improved hanger attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the plates comprising my hanger. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section of the same. Fig. 4 is a planview of the blank of one of the plates, showing the same after it has been stamped and before the hooks have been turned down.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the picture-frame, to the rear of which, at the sides,are secured the plates B B, which are provided each with a rearwardly-extend ing leaf, 0, notched or recessed on the edge. The said. notches or recesses are of such aform as to leave avertical tongue of metal, D,whioh is in the shape of a hool The said tongue is bent outwardly to form the horizontal hook seen in the drawings. The plate proper of this device is provided with two or more perforations, b b,-through which to pass screws to secure the same to the picture-frame, and the leaf 0 is provided with aseries of perforations,

c 0, there being one perforation for each hook, and arranged a short distance below the said ook.

F designates the suspending cord of the hanger, to the ends of which are attached the hooks G G, which are provided each with a ring, 9, to enable the said cord to be easily secured thereto. The said hook G is engaged in one of the series of perforations c in the leaf 0 of the plate, and the ring 9 is engaged over the horizontal hook D, immediately above the said perforation. It will be readily seen that by engaging the ring of the hook G over the said hook D the hook G is steadied and held from lateral motion, thus further insur ing the perfect safety of the device. The cord F is extended up the plate any desired dis tance and engaged around one of the horizontal hooks D thereon, from whence it is carried directly to the sustaining hook or nail on the wall.

, It will be seen that the pitch or inclination of the picture will depend on the hook D, around which the cord is passed, as, if passed around a hook near the upper end of the plate, the inclination will be slight, while if it is passed around a hook near the lower end of the plate the inclination will be considerable. Also,theh eight of the picture may be changed at will by simply engaging the hook G in different perforations 0 in the plate, it being evident that if the hook is engaged in a perforation near the upper end of the plate the picture will hang low, and vice versa.

The cord may be altered from one hook to another and the hook may be similarly changed from one perforation to another in a moments time and without removing the picture-frame from the wall.

A large number of hooks D are provided on the plates, and a similarly large number of perforations c c are formed in the plates, respectively, under the said hooks, thus rendering it possible and easy to obtain any desired adjustment of the pictureframe with regard to either inclination or height.

It will beseen that the device is very simple, comprising merely an angle-plate having the edge of the free leaf thereof notched in a peculiar manner to form small hooks, which are bent laterallyinto a horizontal position to enable the cord to more easily engage therewith. It will be seen that the cord could engage around the said hooks while in the vertical or first position, and in some cases this arrangement might be preferred; but it is obvious that the engagement would not be as secure and the cord would not be as easily changed from one hook to another.

It will be seen that'when it is desired to 1 change the height of the picture-frame the hook must be removed from the perforation in which it is at the time engaged, and in order to do this it is necessary to first move the upper end or ring of the hook outwardly to disengage it from the hook D, and then the hook G is drawn out of the said perforation. Therefore it is evident that it is impossible for the hook G to become accidentally disengaged from the perforation in which it is placed.

The device herein shown and described has still another advantage, in that the inclination of the frame may be changed without materially affecting the height thereof. The reason for this may be readily seen. -The lower end of the cord is attached, for instance, in a perforation at the lower end of the bracket or plate, and whether the sustaining-cord passes from thence directly to the nail on which the picture is to be hung or is engaged first around a hook on the said plate makes very little difference in the height of the frame. Obviously,

when the cord passes through one of the upper notches, it forms an angle, thus shortening the cord to a certain extent, and consequently raising the frame;.but where the cord is of considerable length, as it usually is, the difference is so slight as to be unnoticeable. It will be seen that the difference in the length of the cord occasioned by a change in the inclination of the picture is not nearly so great I as if the said inclination were changed by changing the position of the hook G on the plate, the cord in each case passing directly from the said hook to the sustaining-nail on the wall.

Having thus described the construction and set forth the advantages of my invention, I claim-- 1. In a picture-frame hanger, the combination of the plates or brackets B 13, having a series of perforations, c c, therein, and the hooks D D on the said plates above the perforations, with the hook G, engaged in any one of the perforations c, and the cord F, attached to the said hook and engaged around the said hooks D, substantially as specified.

2. In a picture-frame hanger, the combination of the plates 13 13, leaves 0 O thereon, having the perforations c c therein, and hooks D D, arranged, respectively, above the said perforations 0, with the hook G, engaged in any one of the perforations c, and having a ring on the upper end to engage over one of the hooks D, and the cord F, attached to the said ring on thehook, and adapted to engage around any number of the hooks D and also pass over the sustaininghook on the wall, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in a picture frame hanger, of the plates B B, rearwardly-extending leaves 0 O on the inner edges thereof, having series of perforations c c therein, and the horizontal outwardly-extending hooks D D, arranged on the outer edge of the said leaves, respectively, above the said perforations 0 0, with the hook G, engaging in one of the said perforations, and having a ring, 9, on the upper end engaging over the hook D immediately above the perforations in which the hook is engaged, and the cord F, attached at each end to the ring 9 in one of the hooks G, and adapted to pass up and engage around one of the hooks D on the outer edge of the leaf 0, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB A. STAHLE.

Witnesses:

DAVIS BROWN, GEO. R. KENDRICK. 

